| 23. Linguistic Exegesis The adversative conjunction and negation in ve-lo-natan {וְלֹא־נָתַ֨ן | wə-lō-nā-tān} ‘and did not give/permit’ frame Sihon’s refusal. The infinitive construct avor {עֲבֹר | ʿă-vōr} ‘to pass through’ follows, with the direct-object marker et and the proper name in et-yisrael {אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל | ʾet-yīś-rā-ʾēl}. The phrase bigvulo {בִּגְבֻלוֹ | bi-gəv-ū-lō} ‘in his territory’ highlights jurisdiction. A waw-consecutive verb introduces the next phase in vayyesoph {וַיֶּאֱסֹף | way-ye-ʾă-sōp̄} ‘and he gathered’, leading into the directional purpose clause liqrath hamidbarah {לִקְרַאת הַמִּדְבָּרָה | li-qrāʾ ham-mid-bā-rāh} ‘to meet toward the wilderness’. Finally, the sequence vayavo yahatzah vayyilachem beyisrael {וַיָּבֹא יָהְצָה וַיִּלָּחֶם בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל | wa-yā-bōʾ yā-ḥə-ṣāh wa-yil-lā-ḥem bə-yiś-rā-ʾēl} ‘and he came to Jahaz and fought against Israel’ shifts the narrative from movement to conflict. |